At least a quarter of a million people in France are expected to take to the streets over the weekend to protest controversial anti-Covid measures, local media have said, citing a police intelligence note sent to the government.<\/p>\n
The number of French nationals openly disagreeing with the recent introduction of a so-called \u2018health pass\u2019 in the country has doubled since mid-July, with the movement showing no signs of running out of steam, police intelligence services have reportedly warned the government. In a note sent on Thursday, France\u2019s central territorial intelligence said it estimates that at least 250,000 people will rally over the weekend, Franceinfo\u2019s Radio France reports.<\/p>\n
Many families are set to participate, intelligence analysis has shown, with parents being \u201cgenerally fed up<\/em>\u201d with school closures during the pandemic and uncertain of health rules at educational institutions at the start of the new school year.<\/p>\n Nearly 200 protests have been already planned throughout the country for the weekend, with the anti-health pass movement said to be especially active in the south of France, the intelligence note reportedly warned, calling for further mobilization of law enforcement. While the protests are expected to be peaceful, some \u201cultras both from the left and right<\/em>\u201d might join in, authorities said, with \u201cprofessional agitators<\/em>\u201d trying to infiltrate and possibly stage provocations.<\/p>\n This week, the country will see its fifth weekend of mass protests condemning the government\u2019s toughening of anti-coronavirus restrictions on the unvaccinated. When the \u2018pass sanitaire\u2019 (health pass) to enter certain venues and institutions was introduced in mid-July, around 114,000 people took to the streets during the following weekend, according to official estimates. Last week, the number of protesters<\/a> climbed to more than 237,000 throughout France, with participants saying the new measures \u2013 set to be in place until at least November, offend their personal freedoms \u2013 valued in the European country since its 1789 revolution.<\/p>\n Despite the mass resentment, France\u2019s Constitutional Court has approved<\/a> the use of the controversial pass. Originally required at cultural venues such as cinemas and museums, the vaccine passport has been then made obligatory to visit bars and restaurants, as well as for trains and airplane travel. The court also ruled it constitutional to make the vaccine mandatory for health care workers. Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron this week reiterated<\/a> his calls for more people to get vaccinated, saying that the health situation in the country is \u201cmore than delicate<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n More than half of the country\u2019s population has now been fully vaccinated.<\/p>\n
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